US Democrats blast Elon Musk-led infiltration of NOAA

U.S. Democrats are expressing outrage after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sought access to the IT systems of key government agencies, including NOAA.

“Elon Musk and his DOGE hackers are ransacking their way through the federal government, unlawfully gaining unfettered access to Americans’ private information and gutting programs people depend on. Now they have reached NOAA where they’re wreaking havoc on the scientific and regulatory systems that protect American families’ safety and jobs,” U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) and U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-California) said in a joint statement.

Musk’s DOGE team has been working to swiftly gain access to IT and payment systems at key federal agencies and shutting down payments for programs that don’t align with the Trump administration’s priorities. DOGE has already effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), a federal organization that provided USD 73 million (EUR 70 million) for foreign fisheries development in fiscal year 2022.

Now, DOGE has turned its attention to NOAA, the agency charged with providing critical weather data and regulating the nation’s fisheries. DOGE reportedly gained access to NOAA offices and IT systems.

Politico reported that at least two NOAA-sponsored studies have been halted by the Trump administration – one of which was researching whether fishery quotas and fishing permits are distributed equitably – as part of the eradication of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work.

"This is an outrageous and reckless assault on science, the economy, and the safety of coastal communities across the country,” U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) said in a statement. “The Trump administration, in a nefarious alliance with Elon Musk and DOGE, has its eyes on gutting NOAA – the very agency that tracks hurricanes, protects fisheries, and provides the basic weather data that businesses, farmers, first responders, and everyday people rely on.

NOAA scientists have also been ordered to pause “all international agreements,” according to an internal email obtained by Wired, including communications with foreign nationals and participation in international commissions.

“This directive is incredibly concerning for marine mammals abroad and our own fishing industry here at home,” Center for Biological Diversity International Director Sarah Uhlemann said in a statement. “NOAA Fisheries’ international efforts are mostly focused on trying to level the global economic playing field for our fishing industry by pushing other countries to match U.S. standards on conservation and labor practices. Blocking those conversations will only hurt the U.S. industry’s ability to compete and drive up the number of whales and dolphins getting tangled up and killed by fishing gear around the world.”